1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication technology and, more particularly, to a technology for determining a communication period.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various wireless communication protocols have been proposed and practiced recently. Examples of these protocols include wideband wireless local area network (WLAN) standardized in IEEE802.11 and wireless communication technology (Bluetooth™) standardized in IEEE802.15.1 for mobile information devices. These protocols are built in various information terminals for wireless communication with peripheral devices such as personal digital assistants, printers and headsets. Technological innovation in recent years has made it possible to fabricate a wireless communication module with smaller size and reduced cost. It has also become possible to build modules for plural kinds of wireless communication protocols in a single housing.
Since a handheld information communication device is driven by a battery, it is preferable to reduce power consumption necessary for communication as much as possible. A variety of methods for saving battery power are possible. For example, prolonging a communication period and reducing frequency of communication is also effective. That is an idea for reducing power consumption necessary for communication by reducing the number of transmissions and receptions of data in a predefined period of time. In a game system which is provided with a wireless handheld game controller, it is possible to extend battery time for a game controller by reducing the frequency of communication. Not only for a game system but also for other systems which execute other applications, the same situation exists. Thus, by prolonging a communication period and reducing the frequency of communication, it is possible to extend battery time of a battery for a wireless communication terminal. As described above, a communication period is an important factor in extending battery time.